Monday morning.....

The boys went back to school today in the hybrid part of the Iowa City Community School District's Continuous Learning Model. Today the boys are in school Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and home Thursday and Friday. So, today, they mask-up and head to school.

Pierce and his heavy backpack (still have to take everything to and from school everyday) are VERY excited to be back in school. Plus he's going to Emerson's and the old neighborhood to play in the snow after school. Now, it was a tough start. Even though we were masks everywhere, he forgot his. No fear, reusable and disposable ones always stocked in the car. He also forgot his water bottle so I made a return trip (part of what instigated this post). 

Graham is ready to go back. Happy to be social. See his friends. Play basketball.

Max. Well, (funny, that is Maxwell and maybe not coincidental), he's happy being at home. Freedom, more things options, access to food, easier. So he would have been happy at home. EXCEPT this way he can play basketball, see more friends and we give more freedoms. 

Hayden. See Max. Except until soccer starts, he doesn't have an "except."

I wanted to post a status update on school but really what drove me here was the crazy morning I had <insert eye rolling, laughing and sighing>. Mom life, cold weather life, tight schedule life, multiple kids life, not living next to school life.

I was up at 5:45 and yet by 9:00, I hardly felt productive. I was though, just not in a work, exercise, get my things done way. It was all momming and those things above.

• 5:45     Wake
• 6:00     Graham to 6:15 basketball practice
• 6:15     Tell Max hi as he heads out the door for 6:30 lifting (Wednesday I'm sending him early to take Graham and he can sit in his car until he gets the go for lifting)
• 6:30     Wake-up Pierce, plus get a little snuggle with him
• 6:45     Quick do two work things so they are on others desks before 8:00; chat with Pierce, find Connor's boots
• 7:35     Pierce to school - realize he doesn't have a mask and forgot his water bottle (time to add to what already felt like true taxi morning!!) and why do I not have a single water bottle in the van today????
• 7:55     Drop Connor's boots off
• 8:00     Call from Graham - done with practice now instead of 8:15
• 8:07     Pick-up Graham
• 8:15     Yep, I'll help both Max and Graham with lunches
• 8:35     Out again to take Graham to school and drop Pierce's water bottle
• 8:50     Home

I also got a short socially distanced, mask visit with my parents. It's been WAY too long since I saw them. Dad had a doctor appointment at UIHC this morning so they stopped to drop-off ornaments, see decorations and say hi. Filled my heart. Even Max and Andy got to see them for a couple of minutes. 

Did I write how grateful I am that I am a mom and get to do these things? Yes, it's work and I absolutely do not want every morning like this but I do find the treasure in it. This is a plus of Work From Home (WFH) COVID life as I have the flexibility most mornings to really be present.

Back to work now.....

The singing of a child

As we're riding home in the van from Milwaukee and Thanksgiving with my parents and Ray, I'm beginning to forget how sick I was this morning and that this is a long car ride for all of us when it includes a sick mom, three kids and a dad that wants to be watching the Wisconsin game in a just a few minutes.

I'm forgetting because I'm in love with Pierce singing "no monkeys jump on bed" as in "No more monkeys jumping on the bed." For a couple of weeks he's been saying "no monkeys" and "jump on bed" but while reading the book on this trip, he's put the words together. Today, he's looking at the book and singing/saying the words to us. "Mommy call doctor" was the latest. He keeps repeating "no monkeys jump on bed" because it makes all of us laugh. So cute.

My dad

Dad and Mom with the three boys at Center Grove Orchard, October 10

Today, Day #2 leading up to tomorrow, I am thankful for my father. Happy 64th birthday, dad. I love you.

This one's for my dad

It's a known fact in our house that Pierce LOVES football. The others boys do as well but Pierce is garnering a lot of attention about his fascination - probably because he's only two and is far more into than the other boys were at this age.

Case in point today (two actually) - Max and Caleb played football for a good while this afternoon with Graham and then with Doug. Pierce ran around the entire time with a football tucked under his arm saying "fooball" and "hike."

The one for my dad - Garner held a Scholastic Book Fair tonight and Pierce's first books off the shelf - all five Brett Farve and the Packers books. He carried them around until I made him switch to Farmer Joe and the Music Show. Not an easy switch for a kid obsessed with football.

Respect and thankfulness

We're on day four of six of Mitch being out of town - Thursday thru this afternoon with his dad and now in Chicago until Tuesday night for a conference. This has been a tough one. I had an extra hard time with him leaving on Thursday morning for a number of reasons - six days, miss him, knowing he was going to be with his dad because of his cancer, three crazy boys, feeling sentimental and reflective after a great week with him, our kids, my parents and close friends, all kinds of things. At this point I was already thinking about the strength of my friends who parent as a single whether by choice or circumstance. Thursday evening's news that Ray's cancer had grown in his liver and chemo would start on Friday morning was unsettling and enforced the wish that I was with Mitch. By Friday night I was feeling better as we had one night behind us, the kids were being good, we went to the Iowa vs. Wisconsin swim meet with friends and then back to their house and my parents were planning a brief visit over the weekend. I was ready to concur Saturday. So I thought.

12:07 a.m. - Pierce coughs in bed and gets sick. I spend most of the night up with him and doing laundry. What sleep we do get is in Max and Graham's bed while they peacefully sleep in my bed.
6:00 a.m. - I get sick. Pierce gets sick again. Long morning ahead of us but the big kids are troopers and aside from small fights and me having to raise my voice, we survive pretty well.
9:30 a.m. - Pierce gets sick again and I continue to be sick every hour or so until noon. This is fun.
2:00 p.m.- Help arrives. My parents are here! They are unbelievable help for the next 25 hours. Raised bed for my gardening next year done. Halloween lights up. Carpet in living room and Pierce's bedroom cleaned. Rug cleaned. Laundry done. Odd jobs complete.
2:50 p.m. - I get some much needed sleep and wake feeling better.
5:45 p.m. - Iowa defeats Michigan
6:00 p.m. - Graham gets sick, goes right to sleep
8:00 p.m. - Graham gets sick again
9:30 p.m. - Wisconsin defeats #1 Ohio State
3:00 a.m. - Pierce and Max are sick
2:00 p.m. - Max and Pierce both down for nearly three hours of napping.
8:00 p.m. - Graham and Pierce are sound asleep.
9:15 p.m. - Sliding glass door vertical blinds fall - on me.
9:30 p.m. - Max is still awake. House as clean as it's going to get.
Point made that this is a nasty weekend in our house thank goodness for two (I'll admit the WI one was the more impressive one) important Big Ten victories today.

Respect and thankfulness?

Respect has grown for those friends who single parent. Six days is a long time to do it on my own and then you add four of us being sick.  Even with 25 hours of unbelievable help, I'm wiped and we have two days to go. Hats off to those friends.

Thankfulness for my parents and all their help. We look pretty good tonight because of them. Thankfulness that this appears to be a 24 or 36 stomach flu that in a couple of days will be completely in our past.

Near tooth tradgedy

Max decided for some reason, probably to get back at his brother, to put Graham's boo-boo (the little burp cloth he sleeps with) in his mouth. Well, Graham yanked it out and now Max has a loose tooth. It's the middle upper right tooth. Suddenly though the excitement of the loose tooth turned to confirming it was not a permanent tooth. I never should have even said something in my wondering state to Max because I then had to confirm which teeth he'd lost. Quickly let me state, the tooth should be loose. He hasn't lost it. Here's the tooth recap - while I have many things to organize in my home right now, I know exactly where the tooth info and teeth are located - so I don't have to keep wondering which tooth was lost when!

1. April 30, 2009 - lost the tooth in the evening; middle lower right
2. August 2, 2009 - lost the second tooth (middle lower left) while at Gamma and Gump's house; they read him Lizzie and the Tooth Fairy which was my favorite book and the tooth fairy left a gold dollar coin
3. August 5, 2010 - lost the top right tooth (the only top one); it was pretty loose and while in an early morning wake-up tickle game with Gamma, her elbow hit and out it came; another gold dollar coin
4. October 9, 2010 - lost the lower left tooth after biting into a sandwich at Gamma and Gump's house; I was driving to my grandpa's 95th birthday party and he called me on the phone; since he remembered the first one coming out so easily when it was super loose, he took it upon himself to pull this one; he was so proud to show my mom and I when he arrived at the party; another gold dollar coin

Each tooth with the exception of the one this last weekend has been placed in his Super Hero's tooth fairy pillow. I can't believe I've missed two!

Fantastic

My weekend really can be described in that one word. Although longer entries tell the story, in short, I will remember it as follows - Roland-Story Norsemen High School (where I graduated) football game w/ my family, my grandfather's 95th birthday party (impressive, emotional), dinner with a long time friend I count among the very best (thanks, Ry), out with him and another great friend for lots of laughter and memories (will be thinking of the night for a long time Ry and Greeny), and Center Grove Orchard for the five of us and my parents today (exhausting fun)! I'll look back on every moment from this weekend with reflection and fondness. A weekend of growing and remembering the people, moments and things most important in life.